1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus utilizing an application program and a platform program. Especially, the present invention relates to a control apparatus, a control method and a computer program, which implement utilizing a part of platform program for overcoming the difference of hardware resources, implement improving the reusability, implement shortening the development process and implement reducing the development load.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, several fields adopt a system where plural control apparatuses are connected to exchange data with each other, each of which is provided with a communication function, and a functional role is assigned to each control apparatus. Such the system can make the plural control apparatuses associate with each other and then perform several processes. For example, in a field of on-vehicle local area network (LAN) arranged on a vehicle, an electronic control unit (ECU; electronic control apparatus) is provided with such the communication function, each of ECUs implements assigned functional role and exchanges data to another ECU, and then the system can perform several processes (e.g., patent document 1).
In the case that plural control apparatuses are associated with each other and performs several processes, each control apparatus can be configured to implement an assigned functional role similar to the assigned function of another control apparatus and said another control apparatus may substitute for the control apparatus based on the setting for implementing the assigned functional role of the control apparatus, instead of focusing on the specialization of the assigned functional role of each control apparatus. Particularly, it may be configured to separate a common function from an application program that implements the functional role assigned to each control apparatus, respectively, and configured to implement the separated common function with utilizing a platform program. For example, the common function consists of storing or updating data utilized for executing the application program, communicating with another apparatus, or the like.
When a definition of communication specifications is changed in such the configuration, the platform program may be changed and then each control apparatus may be made to execute the changed platform program. On the contrary, it is not required to change the application program in accordance with the change of communication specifications. Even with the unchanged application program, it is possible to communicate with another control apparatus with performing the process similar to the process performed before the change of application program. Thus, it does not require complicated works, such as the preparation of plural kinds of application programs based on the difference of definition of communication specifcations. The application program may be configured just for implementing the assigned functional role, and then the reusability of application program is improved better.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-329578